


Just This Once

by PretendthisisaGoodUsername



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Chara and Asgore are not the happiest individuals, Depression, Family, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Other, Platonic Relationships, more characters and relationships to be added as they appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-25 04:11:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6179704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PretendthisisaGoodUsername/pseuds/PretendthisisaGoodUsername
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once they are brought back to life, Chara runs away before they are seen, and after hiding for eight years they find themselves working laboriously at a sleazy place in order to survive the week.<br/>They assume this night of work will be no different than others, only to be surprised...and maybe a bit hopeful as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just This Once

The music beat with a steady rhythm that matched their heart's as they worked the pole, twisting and stretching in every way they knew their desperate audience desired. Their uniform hugged at their frame, showing off soft curves, pale arms and shoulders, and a hearty amount of cleavage to be gazed upon by the lustful eyes of the spectators. Their legs were toned from years of practice and clad in nothing more than the thin fabric of black tights, a bunny-eared headband was stuck securely to their head, and a soft plush cotton tail rested right above their backside. Wide red eyes shone with forged seduction muddied with barely concealed detachment and disgust, reddish brown hair brushed slightly against their shoulders as they moved and danced and danced and _danced_ , losing their body to the music and incorporating themselves fully into their job.

            That's all it really was, of course.

            Nothing more than a job to get them through another week.

            Though admittedly this wasn't the position they thought they'd be in, when they ran off eight years ago.

            Then again, they didn't expect to be _resurrected_ either, though who are they to complain about a second chance?

            Not that they really wanted that chance to begin with.

            Chara sighed to themselves, relief coursing through them as the song came to an end and marked the completion of their performance. Slowly they sashayed offstage, heels clicking on the floor as they ignored the pathetic begging of their 'fans' for another round, another dance.

            Like hell they were going to spend any more time then they absolutely needed to on that stage. Besides, they had another job to do, as busy nights always led to work piling up, and the usual schedule of one job per person was thrown out the window. So Chara made their way to the bar, straightening out their pink bowtie and adjusting their white cuffs before grabbing their designated silver tray and walking off to take the drink orders of the (filthy) patrons, ignoring the feeling of eyes taking in every inch of them as they walked around, putting on a mask of a smile (that they've always been _so_ good at faking) and winking flirtatiously at absolutely anyone who wanted it. Monsters and humans alike flocked this particular hole in the wall, and Chara's age old hatred for humans was grateful for that, even if most of the clients were humans anyway.

            At eighteen, it was a wonder they were even allowed to work here in the first place, but knowing how skeevy these kind of places always were, Chara learned not to question things and to just allow them to happen. Still, sometimes they wondered if it would have ended better for them if they had just stayed behind in the Underground, and revealed themselves to everyone, revealed themselves to their _family_ , and showed that they were alive as well...

            No. No, that was never a good line of thought, and they knew _exactly_ what would have happened if they had revealed themselves, if they had revealed everything they had done...

            It was better this way, at least, that's what they've been telling themselves over the course of eight years. Eight years of desperately hiding away, stealing and hiding and doing _whatever else_ they could to survive, and though sometimes they wondered if it was really worth it, for some reason they just felt determined to live on.

            It didn't mean they didn't wish that they had stayed dead though.

            Not that it mattered now, all that Chara had to do was pass out a few more drinks and they'd be done for the day, allowed to go back in their lackluster apartment and finally have a moment's rest to themselves. They did their best to smile, smile and flirt, to maybe get a little bit of a tip or two, and if someone happened to cop a feel, as much as they hated it, that usually led to the best tips (every bill they received tucked securely in their bodice, sometimes done so with the help of the more 'eager' clients), so they swallowed what was left of their pride and just smiled and smiled, their face a mask of makeup and seduction. The extra cash they got would help them through the week, and if they were lucky they might have enough to save for a rainy day.

            Chara eyed the digital clock shown in neon red on the wall, the light from the numbers shining like a beacon through the dim room. It was almost two. Perfect. That meant their shift was almost over and soon they could finally leave and go home at last.

            They wormed their way through the crowds, picking up tips and giving drinks to any human or monster that asked for one. They passed by other servers, each as scantily dressed as they were, and though they still didn't know any of their names, the looks of exhaustion that were shared between them gave off a sense of comradery.

            They didn't really have much in terms of friends, even after working in this strip club for almost a year they had yet to bother remembering any of their fellow coworkers' names, or sometimes even faces for that matter, though they knew it must have been the same for them as well. They remembered some of the monsters that worked here, like the green fire woman who had once confessed to Chara on their break that she didn't want to work in such a place (like _any_ of them _did_ ), but apparently her girlfriend was working too hard and she wanted to help in any way she could, and this was her only option. Chara didn't give much in terms of advice, after all, what could they say, they weren't exactly the pinnacle of good decisions themselves. So they just listened and gave their shoulder for the woman to cry on (they weren't surprised that the fires from the woman's body didn't hurt.) Maybe the woman was a friend, maybe not, but either way, Chara can't remember the last time they saw her, so hopefully she got out of the job and was happy with her girlfriend.

            Chara hoped to get out of this job as well.

            As it stood, they were stuck, but once the clock on the wall struck two, they smiled, almost genuinely, but not quite, and made their way to the back to drop off their tray and clock out so they could finally head home and _sleep_. However, as they walked, they froze as a familiar, _too_ familiar, baritone voice spoke through the loud music and cut straight through their soul.

            "...Chara?"

            They couldn't breathe. They were terrified, and it took every ounce of willpower they had not to drop the tray in their hands. Their entire body was tense, yet everyone around them carried on as usual, oblivious to the situation at hand. Chara bit their lip, hands clenched tight as they slowly, so slowly, turned around and looked at the imposing figure before them, one of the people they had tried so, _so_ hard to hide from the most these last eight years.

            "...Dad?" They asked in disbelief.

            Asgore Dreemur, their adoptive father, as towering and bulky as ever, the lines on his face deeper and the bags under his eyes were bigger than they remembered. He wasn't the cleanest looking, his golden beard needed a trim, and his shirt could use some ironing. He looked like he had given up caring about his appearance, and Chara felt a pang of something close to sympathy (or even empathy) wash over them the longer they looked at him.

            How was he there? _Why_ was he there? Why _now_? How did he know who they were? How did he find them? Was anyone else there?

            So many questions flashed through their mind and as a few moments of silence passed by them, Chara became uncomfortably aware of their attire, and tried to subtly gain some dignity by using the tray in their hands to cover just a bit of skin, their face stuck between flushing red in embarrassment or paling out of mortification.

            "Chara...it really is you...you're alive!" His eyes had lit up, like old candles kept in a box for too, too long finally being used. He smiled, a watery smile that was infused with so much pain that it could hardly be called a smile at all. "Child, how...why are you here? Why are you working in such a place?"

            Shame clung to Chara like a vice as they processed the question, bringing the tray over their chest as they averted their eyes and shot back at Asgore, "W-why are _you_ here? Why are _you_ in this kind of place?"

            Guilt coursed through them the moment the words left their mouth as Asgore took on an expression of shame that rivaled their own, his eyes somber as he looked to the ground, not meeting Chara's gaze.

            Still, unlike Chara, he answered, "I came here because I...was lonely, I suppose. I don't know what I expected, I just didn't want to be alone with my thoughts anymore..." he looked up, the light in his eyes from moments before reappearing, "But child, you're _alive_! We all thought that only Asriel had returned to us, Frisk had said you were gone, so at first we believed you came back, but we couldn't find you anywhere...we thought you had disappeared from this world."

            Another wave of guilt washed over Chara, but before they could think of a reply, a sharp look from their boss in the corner of their vision brought them back to the present, to the current situation, and embarrassment once again caused a flush to appear on their face as they moved to drop off the tray, looking up at Asgore (still avoiding his eyes) and saying to him: "Let's talk about this somewhere else, my shift is done, so I'll go get dressed and we can just...leave, okay?"

            Asgore nodded, departing to wait outside for them, albeit reluctantly. The moment he had left Chara breathed a sigh of relief, as finally not being in the spotlight of those broken, now hopeful eyes made it easier to relax again.

            "What am I going to do...?" They asked aloud to themselves, absentmindedly heading to the dressing room and putting away their fake bunny accessories and their bowtie, pulling on worn out shorts and a jacket over their uniform and replacing their uncomfortable heels with an ancient pair of sneakers. They weren't as clothed as they would have liked to be around the man that they considered their father, at least at one point, but as it stood this was the best they could do.

            Taking a deep breathe to compose themselves, they grabbed their purse and put all the tips they received into it, taking a small moment to smile to themselves at the decent amount they managed to make that day before leaving the dressing room, nodding to a few coworkers and their boss as they got to the entrance of the club, closing their eyes and pushing the doors open, the night air chilling them to the bone and they spent a few seconds to rub their arms through the thin fabric of their jacket to warm up a bit.

            They spotted Asgore just off to the side, wringing his hands as his face went through ranges of happiness and sadness at such a rapid degree that anyone else looking at him would have been concerned, but Chara figured that, considering the situation at hand, it's no wonder his mind was a mess.

            "Greetings..." They say to announce themselves, just the way they used to, and Asgore gives a start before looking down at them, eyes softening as he sees them.

            "...Howdy." He replies back, and there's an awkward moment of silence that seems so much _louder_ outside in the quiet street, wrapping around both of them like a serpent as it drags on, the night's events heavy in both of their minds as they both realize that this had to have been one of the absolute _worst_ situations to meet back up in, after so, so many years, and Chara is hit by an overwhelming need to laugh at the absurdity, the meeting, the past, _everything_.

            However, before they could get even a chuckle out, Asgore holds up one hand (paw? they've never been sure) and gestures into the night, "I know you're uncomfortable discussing what led you to such...situations, and that you don't want to talk about where you went after you came back to life, or even how you returned at all but..." He pauses, as if thinking over what he could possibly say to not scare Chara off, to keep them around and not have them run away again, "...Would you like a cup of tea?"

            Chara starts at the familiar question, and almost compulsorily, they answer with, "Yes, I would."

            Asgore smiles at them, and then points to behind them, "My house is in that direction. It's a bit of a walk, though..."

            "I'm fine with walking." Chara states, maybe a little too bluntly, but doesn't say anything else as they begin walking in the direction Asgore pointed to, leaving Asgore to catch up with them (not that it was hard for him to do, him being a good deal taller than they were.)

            The walk began silently, neither party knowing how to break the quiet air, and neither of them really wanting to. The night stayed still, with nothing more than a passing car and the odd blow of wind passing through the air served as ambient noises. The lack of other people was comforting, as it always was when it became this late, though there was something nice in having someone with you so late, it offered a sense of security that Chara hadn't felt in a long time. A few stars managed to find their way through the clouds, and Chara was struck with a melancholic sense of irony that as much as the monsters wanted to see the stars, so many places were too polluted or plagued by storms to see too many of them.

            Chara had no idea how long they both had been walking, but after what seemed to be around twenty minutes of relative silence, they noticed that the tall buildings of city life around them gradually began to fade and change into buildings that more resembled the typical structure of a house. It was only after seeing these houses that Chara realized they should have at the very least went by their apartment to grab some necessities as they doubted that they were going to be going home tonight, but it was too late by then.

            For a second, Chara considered ditching Asgore, running off, grabbing all of their things from their awful apartment, moving as far as they could, and getting another skeevy job in another sleazy club, and making sure that they are not ever found again. They could be free from confrontations, free from having to look anyone they ever knew in the eyes as they felt their sins crawling on their back and weighing around their neck, choking them and pulling them down.

            However...Chara found themselves reluctant to do this. They've been hiding for so, so long. Too long. They didn't want to do this anymore, it was tiring, exhausting even, and the past eight years had not been kind to their soul. The soul that they had been given back, after being unable to feel for others for so long. The soul that let them feel love for their family again, that let them care about others again. The soul that made them feel every single bit of guilt over their actions, the guilt that had been barred from them without it. The soul that drove them to continue on, to remain determined, even as they wanted nothing more than to disappear and die on the best of days. That soul.

            They doubted they'd last another eight years of this.

            So they walked resolutely alongside Asgore, and they didn't know if their demeanor had changed at all, but Asgore glanced at them for a split second, and when he looked away he seemed just a bit happier.

            Soon, they arrived at a quaint little house with a large door and a beautiful garden in the front of it. Chara took a moment to gaze at the large array of flowers in an almost childlike awe and wonder, eyes lighting up for the first time in a long while. They hurried over to the flowers and knelt down amongst them, the dark of the night hiding their true beauty, but the moonlight allowed for just enough visibility to make out colors and shapes.

            "Forget-me-nots, hydrangeas, azaleas, hyacinths, lilacs...golden flowers...so many flowers, here..." Chara stated, stars nearly visible in their eyes as their mind lists off each flower that they have ingrained into their memory. It wasn't often that they had the opportunity to see such beautiful flowers, and when they did they took the time to fully appreciate them, flowers being some of the only things they still truly loved about the world. They suddenly tensed up as they heard a deep chuckle behind them, and they whirled around to see Asgore smiling fondly down at them, nostalgia set in his eyes.

            "You did something similar the first time you saw the castle garden." He said, kneeling next to them and looking over the flowers with an eye filled not with pride, but with love, "I'm happy, that even after all these years, you still love them so much."

            Chara kept their gaze on the flowers, face and neck flushing red in embarrassment over acting like a child again, after behaving like an adult for so many years. They were eighteen, it was shameful to be acting in such a way at their age...Still, it was heartening to know that Asgore didn't judge them for being excited over flowers.

            "Well, as much as I know the flowers enjoy being marveled at, I believe it's about time to head inside, after all, I did promise a cup of tea, did I not?" Asgore asks, standing up and offering his hand for Chara to take. They hesitate, biting their lip as they look at his hand (paw?), and they slowly, slowly reach out, their small, thin hand dwarfed in his, and he gently and easily pulled them up, as if they weighed as much as a teacup. They stay like that for a moment as they both remember the last time he had held their hand, when they were even smaller, and when he was not yet so alone. When they were sick, and he wanted them to live.

            When they were dying.

            Dying by their own hand.

            They let go of his hand, trying not to be too quick about it, and they mutter a quiet "thank you" before heading toward the door and waiting by it, red eyes still not looking at him directly. He walks over to them and opens the door, keeping it open for them politely as they head inside and take in their surroundings.

            It's a nice place, smaller than they'd thought he'd have but large enough to accommodate him and maybe a few others. It wasn't the cleanest, with plates piling up in the sink and envelopes covering the dining table, and some clothes littering the ground in a few areas of the carpet. Other than these few minor details it was a nice place, much nicer than Chara's own humdrum apartment, though that wasn't really saying all too much.

            Asgore gestures to the sizable couch in his living room, "Have a seat, I'll go get the tea, it'll take but one moment." Just like that he was out of the room and in the kitchen, leaving Chara to do as he'd asked and find a place on the couch to curl up on until he returned, making sure to take off their shoes at the door before they go too far in.

            As they waited, they reflected on how they came to this situation. Eight years ago, they would have run off the moment they heard Asgore's voice. Now? They were curled up on his couch and waiting for tea. They supposed they really were just...tired of running, of hiding, of being alone for so long. They just...didn't want that anymore. They hated their job, they hated their life, they hated _themselves_ , but they still loved their family, even after being apart from them for so long, and they still felt like they owed them for how well they were treated, even though that feeling of owing them was a big part of what drove them to commit to their 'plan' in the first place...

            They shook their head to clear it of such thoughts. They shouldn't delve into such things, that'd just serve to put them in a bad state of mind. A small cough gets their attention as they realize that Asgore had reentered the room, two steaming mugs of tea in his hands. They sit up and gently take one of the offered mugs, blowing a bit on it to cool it off before taking a sip, and the taste alone nearly brings them to tears.

            "It's-" They choke out, taking a moment to compose themselves before continuing, "It's been so long...since I last had your tea..."

            "It has...This particular brand is golden flower tea, you know. A personal favorite of mine." He drinks his own tea from his seat on a nearby armchair, his words softly drifting into the air.

            "I...I like it too." Chara responds, folding their legs under them and hunching over their mug, looking every bit as closed off as they had so long ago. Asgore sighs and sets his mug down on the coffee table between them.

            "Chara..." He begins, hesitating as he struggles to think of what to say, "You...you've been gone for a very, very long time. I haven't seen you in over a hundred years, child."

            Chara nearly spits out their drink before realizing that yes, of course it's been that long, for Chara, it's only been eight years, but for Asgore, it's been _much_ longer. They've forgotten this, in their time alone...

            "I've been dead." They say, as if to defend themselves, though they don't know why they would do so.

            "But you've also been alive, at least for a while. Enough to grow up a little." Asgore responds, slight sternness in his tone and the question of 'where have you been?' going unsaid in the air.

            "I...I just..." They breathe deeply, in and out as Asgore waits patiently for them to respond, "I wanted to get away. I didn't think I...I knew I wasn't going to be forgiven, so in my mind I just, I thought that if I went back to everyone, I'd just be thrown out, or killed off again, or whatever and I was...scared. I was guilty. I'm pretty sure me being brought back was an accident anyway...I can’t…I don't...really want to talk about that anymore..." They stayed quiet, after that.

            "You don't have to continue." Asgore says, looking much too patient and much too knowing, "If you are having trouble explaining what happened, you don't have to say any more."

            For some reason, this got on their nerves. Why wasn't he angry? Why was he offering them tea, as if they did nothing wrong? He had to know _something_ about what they've done, so why isn't he angry at them for ruining his life? Does he not know?

            Whatever the reason, it prompted them to almost spit out the question, "Don't you hate me?"

            This question seemed to shock him, almost dropping his mug of tea as he went to get another sip. A silence rose over the two of them, and unlike the quiet from on the walk there, this one was heavy, bearing down like a vice.

            "...Why would I hate you?" He asks, slowly, as if it was something he had never thought he'd _have_ to ask.

            Another beat of silence passed by them.

            "Wha- Are you kidding me?!" They give a sharp laugh, practically slamming their drink on the table as they stand up hastily, " _'Why would I hate you?_ ' are you _serious_?! You have so many reasons to hate me! Did you know it was me that _ruined_ your life? That it was _my_ fault that Toriel left you, that Asriel _died_ , that everything went to absolute _shit_?! I _killed_ myself! With those _damn_ buttercups! Did you know that?! Didn't Asriel tell you of what I did?! I killed myself, so the barrier could be broken, I tried to get Asriel to kill people, my entire village even! And then…and then he died, and I came back, and Frisk came around after that and I _woke_ _up_ and I couldn't feel _anything_ for _anyone_ and I was _confused_ and I just-"

            They cut off as Asgore rose from his seat, and a long forgotten fear they haven't felt for years and years resurfaced and they curled in on themselves, bracing for the pain that's sure to come because they made him mad and now he hates them and because they _fucked up_ so, so bad they're going to be punished and they deserve it, they deserve it, they _deserv_ -

            They feel large arms envelop them and they open their eyes to find themselves pressed up against a large (but soft) chest.

            Asgore was...hugging them?

            "Wh...what are you doing?" They ask, and they can't even bring themselves to feel embarrassed as their voice cracks, and they pull their hands up, but they don't know what to do with them. Do they push him away? Hug him back? Clutch at his shirt and scream at him? Ask him why, why, _why_ was he hugging them when they _clearly_ didn't deserve it?

            "You did a lot wrong, that's true. A lot of people were hurt by your actions, and yes, I'm one of them. But," he leans back to look them in the eye, "You were just a child, and at any rate, from what I've seen, the one hurt the worst from your actions...was _you_."

            The silence of the air was louder than anything Chara had ever heard, but it lasted but one moment, as their shoulders began to quake and years and years and _years_ of guilt and pain and _agony_ that they've kept close to their heart for so long, _too_ long, finally comes crashing out, and they all but throw themselves into their adoptive father's embrace, their hands clutching at him like a lifeline and their face pressed against his torso, tears cascading down their face and soaking Asgore's shirt as though a dam had burst. They…hadn't cried in a long, long time...

            Asgore gently rubbed Chara's back, rocking on his heels as he hugged his adopted child close. Even though they could be considered an adult by human standards, they were still so, so young. Too young to go through what they have.

            The two stayed like that for a few more moments, until Chara's tears finally dried and their shoulders stopped shaking. They stepped back, out of the embrace, and gave a broken little smile, mascara tracks marring their face, "I'm...I'm sorry. I probably look like a mess, and the tea is cold, and your shirt is ruined, and-"

            "Chara." Just a short utterance of their name was enough to get their attention, "Why don't you stay the night? There's a guest room you can use. It's too late to go out now. You can use some of the extra clothes in the guest room as well, if you'd like."

            There was another unspoken question, this time of "why don't you stay here?" Chara wasn't sure how to answer this one. They had their own home, and as dingy and barren as it was, they still paid for it with their own hard earned money. Though they couldn't deny that Asgore's home was undeniably better than their own, and he had the space...

            No. They couldn't. At least, they had to think about it first, they were an adult, they could make these decisions on their own terms. They'd think about it more in the morning. For now, though...

            "If it's okay...I'd like to stay the night." They say, smile becoming just a tad more real, as something akin to hope flashes across their face. Asgore beams at them, happiness emanating from him like rays from the sun.

            "Wonderful! Here, follow me," he leads them to a hallway, similar to that of his old home, and he stops in front of a door, "this is the guest bedroom, the one beside it is the bathroom, feel free to use that as well, Chara." He gives them a soft, happy smile before hugging them gently one more time, "I'll be in the room at the end of the hall if you need me...I'm very happy to have you home, Chara, I missed you."

            With that he goes to his room, with something similar to a skip in his step as he heads down the hall, and as Chara hears his door close, they take a deep breath and walk into the guest room.

            It looks similar to their and Asriel's room at New Home, in fact, it'd be the exact same if it weren't for the fact that the beds were considerably bigger than their twin sized beds were. Of course the beds had to be bigger though, Frisk and Asriel probably stayed here more than once, and they probably didn't stay all small and childlike over the last eight years…

            Chara paused as they stood next to the bed that took the place of their own, suddenly overcome with something they've spent a long time thinking of.

            Asriel and Frisk.

            Those two were...probably the best of friends by now. Might be going to the same college, probably got their own "best friends" lockets, probably closer than Chara and Asriel, or even Chara and Frisk, could have ever hoped to be...

            It was...disheartening to think about, that so long has passed without Chara there, that they missed so much due to their own fears that they lost everything. What little time they spent with the Dreemurs didn't measure up to a full eight years.

            They probably were never thought of anymore, at least, not in the nicest light, if Asriel's words against them (over their _grave_ ) said anything about how he felt, and Frisk had so many friends that they probably would forget about them easily, if they wanted to remember them at all.

            ...At least Asgore was happy to see them.

            With a slight somber smile at that thought, they set down their purse on the bed and went to the closet, grabbing a shirt (that was much, much too big) and a pair of shorts (that fit well enough) before heading to the bathroom to finally wash off.

            The bathroom was large, understandably though considering Asgore's size (and probably Asriel's too). They walked into the room and nearly dropped their clothes from shock at the sight of themselves in the mirror. Black marks around their puffy eyes from mascara made them look like a raccoon and their lipstick was smudged from the many times they've bit their lip. Their hair was windswept and tangled, brown strands strewn this way and that. Their clothes were rumbled, a look at their legs showed that their tights were ruined from when they knelt in the dirt earlier.

            In short, they were a mess.

            They still looked better than some of their worse days though.

            They locked the door (not that they really needed to) and quickly undressed, throwing their 'uniform' onto the floor. They put on the shower and stepped it, making it as hot as they can take it. Luckily, or unluckily for other reasons, it seems that Frisk must have come around fairly recently, if the human shampoo and conditioner says anything about it, which Chara immediately grabbed in satisfaction, the feeling of being clean heightening Chara's mood as they wash off. The sensation of the water encompassing them made them reflect on everything that has occurred that day.

            They had just been expecting to work like usual, getting all the tips they labored for, and then heading home for a moment's rest before repeating the process all over again, and again, and again.

            However, they got a surprise. Their adoptive father appeared, out of nowhere, and suddenly there was something new in their life, suddenly things seemed like they could go their way for once.

            Of course, it was awkward that he had...met them at the strip club in full uniform, and... probably saw them perform as well...

            Mortification and embarrassment could still be felt, and would probably always be felt as they looked back on this day.

            Shaking their head to clear it of such a realization they finally finished with their shower, turning the water off and grabbing a towel to dry off, getting dressed in the shorts and shirt the guest room closet provided for them, the shirt, to their surprise, falling right below their knees.

            "Must be Asriel's..." They mumbled to themselves, putting up their towel once they were dry enough and taking their dirty clothes with them back to the guest room.

            Knowing that they had to sleep in the room bothered them somewhat, as it was eerily similar to their room in New Home, too similar, and it just made the lack of Asriel, the lack of Frisk even, too poignant, too obvious, too...lonely...

            There was a reason they tried not to think about those two, or anyone else they once knew, and it was that they always became uncomfortably aware of their own absence.

            They were pretty much a stranger now, as eight years makes a _lot_ of difference. People change, and sometimes they changed a lot. Chara really doubted that anyone they left behind expected them to be a pole dancing playboy bunny, much less be _alive_. They didn't envy the shock Asgore must have felt from seeing that...

            They felt content though: content that everything would turn out okay; content that maybe, for the first time in a long while, they'd be happy where they were; content that they'd have people to care about, and people who cared about them in turn.

            However, they knew from experience that being _content_ never got them anywhere, and that being hopeful for a better future never led to anything good, that horrible 'plan' of theirs proved that.

            Everything they touched, everything they ever interacted with, it always ended up worse for wear, didn't it? They ruined things when they came across them, so who were they to force themselves into this life again, to ruin Asgore's life another time, and likely ruining everyone else's as well, when they inevitably ran into them again...?

            They hunkered down into the bed and pulled the covers of it over their head, curling into themselves.

            They didn't _want_ to ruin everything, all they ever wanted when they were alive was to make everyone happy, and though they weren't the greatest person, though people like Frisk were so much _better_ than them, they still wanted the best for the ones they cared about, the ones they finally _could_ care about.

            Did they really want to risk the happiness that everyone had undoubtedly built up over the years? Did they really want to risk _fucking up_ and _ruining_ everyone's lives all over again? Asgore might've invited them in, invited them to stay, but they still knew that it was a bad decision on his part. He had met them in the damn strip club, which as mortifying as that was should have been enough to drive Asgore away.

            But...he still took them in.

            He still smiled as they admired his flowers.

            He still hugged them tightly even after knowing their past sins.

            He still missed them, and he was glad they were _home_.

            ...Home.

            Maybe…maybe now…they could finally have a real 'home' for once.

            Just this once.

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea from this story after imagining what Chara would do if they were brought back but ran off instead of staying with everyone, and I figured they wouldn't be in the best place, not on their own at such a young age...and originally, I was going to have it be Asriel and/or Frisk that met them at the strip club, but then I realized how much better it would be if it was Asgore instead, plus I'm a sucker for Chara and Asgore's relationship as child and father.  
> Next chapter will focus more on Asgore, and it will keep with the pattern of Chara, Asgore, Chara... for the rest of the fic.  
> If you have any questions, feel free to ask!


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